


They Understand Me in Paris

by WarioGirl



Series: Pixar cars: C.H.R.O.M.E SAGA [1]
Category: Cars (Pixar Movies)
Genre: F/M, Original Characters - Freeform, Roleplay-based, human co-existing with Cars, just for shits and giggles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-25 03:56:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22009615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WarioGirl/pseuds/WarioGirl
Summary: In a world were Cars and Humans co-exist, Rod Redline and his human teammate and long-time best friend, Sallie Knight, take the mission to the beautiful streets of Paris. Rod isn't impressed while Sallie is insistent, wanting to help and explore the beauty of this city.It's not as easy as they thought.
Relationships: Original Character/Original Character, Rod "Torque" Redline/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Pixar cars: C.H.R.O.M.E SAGA [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1584277
Comments: 7
Kudos: 7





	1. UNQUESTIONABLE REJECTIONS

**Author's Note:**

> Don't ask why. Reciting older stories and decided to try and submit a few of my favorites. This is one of them. 
> 
> It's a C.H.R.O.M.E mission that Sallie and Rod venture on together, as much to Rod's dismay. Based on an RP with the wonderful Beetle-Berry,  
> This story is based on the universe where humans and machines co-exist.  
> Rod and Sallie embark on a mission in Paris. What's the worst that could happen?
> 
> WORD OF WARNING: This story WILL contain strong language, violence and probably some dodgy sex scenes for good measure! ... HUZZAH!
> 
> Story-concept, Sallie Knight, Steve E. Jag (C) Wario-Girl  
> Co-Writer (C) Beetle-Berry

#  ** THEY UNDERSTAND ME IN PARIS **

** A PIXAR CARS STORY **

#  ** CHAPTER 1: UNQUESTIONABLE REJECTIONS **

##  C.H.R.O.M.E HQ, USA

On command, all available agents, both human and machine, hurried down to the main lobby, where a meeting was about to begin.

One of those humans, Sallie Knight, rushed down to the elevator with several other machines and humans, briefly chatting with fellow agents about idle subjects such as weather and how their day was. For her, this was the most exciting part of the week, where new missions are announced and either given by C.H.R.O.M.E’s founder, Steve E. Jag, or taken freely by agents. It was like fighting to get front row seats of a concert everyone wanted to be in. 

Sallie brushed her hair back, pulling back the long, brunette strands from her face. She had to leave the gym frantically once the announcement was made. Normally, she’d get there before any announcement, but her focus in working-out took a toll and distracted her. But at least she had time to catch up with some friends on the way there.

Once they were on ground level, all together the agents hurried to the Gallery, joining the other countless members of C.H.R.O.M.E, who waited patiently for the meeting to start. There was a pleasant hum of voices lifting all around her, accents clashing and laughter. This was one of the best parts of the day, to see everyone in one room, gathering together in accord, to hear different voices and drawls, diverse beings from all around the world. It was pure harmony. Weirdly, she pondered if this is what world-peace would be like…

Sallie’s eyes flickered over the members frantically, looking out for a certain machine. The entire spy-team were mostly made up of machines, as it was originally a machine-only agency. But recently, humans began to join the cause, and have proven to be a wonderful addition to C.H.R.O.M.E. It didn’t take long for Sallie to spot her team-mate, her boss and her best friend.

An imposing machine parked near the front of the gathering, waiting patiently. He was always here first, one of the finest spies in the entire building, and she was blessed to be his partner. A dark blue, DeRinger, a machine fused by a Mustang father and a Challenger mother, a rare combination, with his bulky, muscular chassis and angled hood. American, a fighter during the cold-war. And while he was infamously known for his cool yet serious attitude, Sallie was lucky to see the funny and relaxed side of his man-machine, his silly comments and obscene insults. The human and the DeRinger were the first of a few human/machine teams and have shown other spies what a brilliant team they have become, their pros and cons pleasantly complimenting with one another. They were _inseparable_ , and no one could remove that special bond the duo had for one another. They have already completed eighteen missions together, and still counting, now bracing themselves for a ninetieth mission.

Rod Redline smirked to himself when he heard the human passing through the other machines and humans, chiming a polite ‘excuse me’ as she budged through the bustling collection of spies to get to him, and when she finally came into view with the DeRinger, she saw his grin, and knew what she was in for.

“Late again, I see,” Rod smirked. She wasn’t exactly late, but if Rod arrived in the Gallery before his human-partner, regardless if the meeting had started or not, she was late.

“Technically, I’m not. Just arrived on time!” Sallie piped up, mirroring his cheeky smirk. Rod playfully bumped his tyre onto the back of her leg.

“I was waiting for _ages_! I could feel my oil evaporating away! You humans with your tiny legs!”

“Don’t blame me, I’m one of the smallest humans here, and you know that,”

“Does that include your small brain too?” Rod couldn’t suppress the grin when he carelessly flung that insult, but he knew with confidence that Sallie could take it. It was normal for them to insult and grill one another daily.

“Oh, hush. I was working out in the gym with the muscle-team,”

“Pfft! Nah, that was your last excuse. You were back in your secret den eyeing up that shrine of yours!” He saw Sallie’s eyes widened. Clearly, she was confused, and he decided to help her ever so gently. “I’ve seen you, doe-eyed as yer worshipped that mustang singer from SlipFord-”

He felt satisfaction when he saw the human unable to hide her reaction, and she glared hotly at him, a good-humoured slap clipped the tip of his hood.

“Shut it, you! Corey Taylor is fucking gorgeous!”

“I wouldn’t suggest hitting me like that, Big-Boots, you’ll only turn me on,” Rod’s grin widened, knowing how to antagonise the human, and severely enjoyed it. He just adored winding her up. “I might end up fucking you in front of everyone, and we wouldn’t want that now, do we?”

“Oh my god, fucking _shut it_!” Sallie cried out, her sentence tangled with a giggle as her cheeks flared up. She got embarrassed, and Rod won. She quickly changed the subject, an adorable excitement in her eyes as she looked at the podium. “I wonder what missions there’re going to be this time!”

“Probably the same shit,” Rod answered, a little bored. “Rescue missions are ours, though, so fight for it with me,”

“Y’know, we have to let others do them too. They’re not ours and ours alone,”

Rod gave her a mock-exasperated glare, pouting at such a statement. Sallie was unmoved by it. “We have to share, Rod,”

“Nah.”

His powerful blue eyes looked away from Sallie, his smirk never leaving, and he could feel Sallie glaring at him back, as if disturbed by his greed. Of course, they both knew this was an act. She finally looked back at the podium, and murmured:

“Fat American bastard,”

Rod snorted at her insult. It was pathetic and adorable, one he had grown accustom to. And, in turn, he shot his own nickname to her.

“Tiny British bitch,”

The best friends exchanged knowing smirks before their attention was drawn away from one another and back at the podium. The lights had dimmed, ready for the projector to reveal information about the upcoming missions. As expected, a black E-Type Jaguar rolled onto the stage, approaching the podium, and he smiled proudly at the masses of humans and machines. C.H.R.O.M.E has been increasing in size the last few years, and he couldn’t be any prouder of every one of these members. They all had different backgrounds, different views, but together they were an eccentric unity. Some were lucky and have been following their parent’s treads, some were not so blessed in the past, and were rescued by his company. And others had suffered trauma like no other, and were still here today…

Unconsciously, his brown eyes glanced down to see Rod and Sallie nearby, and he smiled at them, before looking back at the bustling members before him.

“Welcome, C.H.R.O.M.E spies!” Steve, the E-Type Jaguar, announced, his military voice projecting far enough for the back of the Gallery to hear. “It’s that time of the week now. We have a new list of missions up for grabs, so pay attention,” He turned to the screen behind him, a large pane of whiteness where the projector’s lights shone onto.

Carefully, the spies read and took in the details of each mission, listening to Steve as he explained each situation. The missions were announced in order of urgency. The first missions were coded RED, important and grave. But, normally, those sorts of missions would be abrupt and unplanned, _Emergencies_. None of these missions were such things. Nothing serious, thankfully, but it had disappointed Rod. He wanted some action, burningly ready to get into the gritty business that everyone else was so afraid of. And so, the missions that had been announced were mainly YELLOW and GREEN, the boring and not-so-urgent tasks. Rod had grown bored of the meetings by the time it got to those. There was only one ORANGE mission, a semi-emergency one. It was a rescue mission that was set in Egypt.

Rod’s eyes looked at Sallie, and she locked gazes with him, reading his silent question:

_You want to go to Egypt again?_

Their last mission was in Egypt, and both had agreed that they wouldn’t want to go there again for a while. Sallie’s flesh burnt in the sun, and Rod’s engine got filled with sand. It was an interesting yet unpleasant experience. Rod wasn’t too bothered about it, though it was a more exciting mission compared to the last one. His eyes implored the question and wasn’t surprised to find her softly frowning and shaking her head. He wordlessly nodded in understanding. Sallie had just recovered from the sunburn and Rod grimaced at the thought of having sand stuck between his treads again.

And so, they remained silent, allowing another team to take it. Promptly, Max and Ivy took the mission gladly.

Rod and Sallie continued to listen, reading the details of the missions listed, all mundane and simple missions. Rod was beginning to think that they would leave this Gallery with no mission at this rate, and even his partner, who was normally so excited for these missions, seemed a little bored of it. The list continued, from Spain to England, mostly consisted of receiving intelligence and returning to C.H.R.O.M.E HQ. A mission that took a day or two to do. Sin City was mentioned, and Rod felt the human bury herself into him, hiding herself from any prying eyes. That place possessed terrible memories to the human, and an abysmal monster of a m _achine._

He hushed the human silently, calming her down.

Steve, thankfully, knew Sallie’s past. Just like Rod, he knew _every_ detail, and so he did not draw any attention to her. Besides, he wouldn’t _allow_ her to take it if she wanted to. It was against protocol of protection. The one machine she was avoiding resided there…

The meeting was almost over, and most of the missions were already taken. Now, Steve was just finishing it up, reciting the GREEN-labelled missions. These missions were simple and calm, perfect for rookie members and teams.

He began to mention an ‘Investigation’ mission, a type of assignment Sallie had never heard of before. This was _new!_ Steve began to explain about missing paintings, and while this was not a serious matter, it was one that could affect the people of a city. The city of lights.

The city of love.

Rod felt his engine seized when Steve said that one word:

 _Paris_.

 _Bastard city!_ Rod thought hotly. The place held such awful recollections to him, he had promised himself he would never place another tyre into that city ever again!

He felt eyes burning onto the side of him, and he turned to see Sallie looking at him. His oil froze when he saw what she was doing. Her eyes, wide and begging, imploring that traditional question they silently signalled each other during the meeting. She looked so eager, so _happy!_

And with bitter dread, he realised what she was asking.

She wanted to do the mission.

*

“Rooooooooddddddd,”

“No.”

“Pleeeaaassseee,”

“No.”

“Pretty pllleeaaassee,”

“I said no, Knight,”

“Rodney ‘Torque’ Redliiinnne,”

“Fuck off, woman,” The DeRinger hissed a harsh glare at the human. “And don’t call me Rodney again,”

Sallie smirked, amused that it irritated him, even though it was unintentional.

It had just been thirty minutes since the CHROME meeting regarding the next missions finished. And yet, Rod had failed to get rid of this pestering human and her desire to explore that city. She had been floating around, _begging_ him to comply to her wishes since the meeting. Well, at the end of the day, _he_ was _her_ boss. Her leader.

“Aww, c’mon! Please! It’s been ages since our last mission!” Sallie exclaimed, hurrying in front of Rod and stopping him in his persistent track. She placed her hands on his hood, forcing him to halt in his path. He could easily run her over, but he wasn’t a monster. Besides, it was normal between them to have such silly banter. But this time, Rod wasn’t having any of it.

He looked at Sallie tiredly.

“Sal, we’ve finished the mission in Egypt four days ago…”

“I’m bored!” Sallie piped up, bending down to that she was eye-level with him, folding her arms over the front of his hood. “Besides, I’ve never been to Paris before,”

Rod cocked an eyelid at her.

“You wanna do this mission because you’ve never been to _Paris_ before?” He asked, his frown deepening. “Sal, this isn’t a holiday!”

“N-No, that’s not what I’m saying-!”

“Listen Crumpet, you used that excuse for the last mission. I get it, yer excited to explore new places. But these are _very_ important missions. Not all fun and games,”

Sallie didn’t reply for a time, looking at Rod firmly. He wasn’t lying. He was being deadly serious, and that bothered her. She should be used to this by now. Rod was always severe about his missions. And she was, as well. But she enjoyed the smaller things about it: Exploring new cultures, seeing new faces, hearing new words… It was all an adventure for her, and while Finn may agree with her that it is something to take delight to, Rod was tedious. A mission was a mission to him.

Hearing nothing from his human companion, Rod grumbled lowly, reversing back away from the human and he simply rolled around her, passing her. “If you’re so eager for it, go by yourself,” The muscle-car murmured as he drove away.

Sallie, momentarily frantic, hurried after Rod, walking beside him at an alarmingly-fast pace, just about mirroring the DeRinger’s speed.

“But Rod, that’s what makes these missions so fun. I’m with _you_ ,”

The DeRinger stopped suddenly, looking at Sallie strictly, and the look he gave startled the human. This wasn’t the ordinary glare Rod would give. This one had more…intense hindrance. Like he was genuinely annoyed…

“I’m gonna cut this short, Big-Boots. I don’t care about Paris. I don’t give two shits about ‘The City of Love’, and I _certainly_ don’t care about the ‘Roama Lisa’ painting going missing,” And he began to roll away again, keeping a firm pace. He was probably making his way to their room.

The human ran after him again, seeing him entering an elevator and pushing the side panel with his tyre, not allowing the human to lag if she was so persistent in following him.

“Rod, wait!” Sallie called out, diving between the closing doors and held them open, forcing the elevator to delay. The DeRinger rolled his eyes, unimpressed. “You said I can decide on the next mission!”

“Yeah, pick something else instead of Paris!”

“Like what?!”

Rod rolled his eyes.

“Well, I don’t know…” He murmured, sarcasm thick in his voice. Then he grinned coldly. “Maybe England? I’ve always wanted to go to England,”

“England sucks!”

“It’s _your_ birth-country!”

“Take it from a Brit, it sucks ass!”

The DeRinger heaved a weary sigh, now impatiently bashing the button to close the doors onto the human. Sallie dived into the elevator, squeezing herself next to the DeRinger. Rod stared mutely at the mirror that reflected his image back, and saw Sallie looking at him through it. “Rod, what do you have against Paris?”

“It sucks ass,”

Sallie glared hotly at him, irritated he echoed her words.

“Rod!”

He shrugged his tyres, nonchalantly.

“What? Can’t I call a country shit too, Big-Boots?”

“I’m being serious,” Sallie whined, starting to look defeated. She paused for a time, her mind considering a serious question, and with some strength she spoke. “Rod, be honest: What is it about Paris you don’t like?”

The DeRinger didn’t say anything, but Sallie watched his expression soften, and it was beginning to seem like her question was worming its way into his mind. He was fighting against an internal battle, and for a moment he looked pained. “Rod…”

Nothing.

Sallie turned to him.

“Muscles…”

Rod’s sharp-blue eyes finally looked up to Sallie sideward, and his human companion smiled kindly. “You can talk to me, you know,”

Rod sighed heavily again, closing his eyes almost embarrassingly.

“You promise you won’t tell…” He whispered.

“I promise,” Sallie whispered back.

Rod beckoned a tyre for her to come closer, and the human obliged. She leaned close to his hood, close enough so that his whispered words could get to her easily. Then:

“ _The smelly Frenchmen!_ ” He bellowed unexpectedly, and the human lurched herself away from him in horror, throwing herself onto the floor and spied the mischievous glint in Rod’s eyes. That was when Sallie felt betrayed. By his execution and the ridiculous remark, she knew he had deceived her.

He found it incredibly humorous, but his human… not so much.

“Rod, you fucking _idiot!_ ” She screamed, and the doors opened, revealing the familiar faces of a few fellow spies. It was evident that they had heard her exclamation.

Rod elegantly rolled out like the honoured muscle-car he was, nodding his hood at his fellow agents and drove away. Sallie picked herself up and scampered after him, giving the spies a frantic greeting before rushing after the DeRinger. She could hear the anxious chuckles from them as she rushed down the corridor. But she brushed that shame aside. Rod was her target! “Rod! Wait up, please! We need to talk!”

“Sorry, I can’t hear you!”

“Rod, _please_! Talk to me-!”

But she was interrupted when the muscle-car’s engine riled up boisterously, surging throughout the corridor, making portraits and the iron beams above shudder, possibly interrupting a few meetings along the hall, and before she could say anymore, the DeRinger had shot down the corridor in a haze of smoke, vanishing out of her sight.

He was gone.

And when she knew it was futile, and impossible, for her to chase after her agent-partner, her shoulders sagged with a defeated sigh.

Rod Redline had been awkward before, sure, for his amusement to annoy the human. He adored tampering with her temper, whether it was to test her or just for his own entertainment. But even this time he took it too far, and it _really_ bothered Sallie. Bothered her to the point she couldn’t laugh at it. It just wasn’t funny. He clearly _saw_ it.

Sallie looked to the side to see that she was staring back at a meeting full of agents, machine eyes all glaring at her, annoyed. Their boardroom leader, Steve, gave Sallie a questioning glare, and she gave the E-Type Jaguar a weary wave of her hand in a feeble form of an apology, dismissing the glares and walked down the hallway. She could hear Rod’s engine in the distance, but she didn’t bother running after him.

She was done with today…


	2. SELF-PUNISHMENT

#  ** CHAPTER 2: SELF-PUNISHMENT **

##  MEETING ROOM 106, C.H.R.O.M.E HQ

Rod really needed some time to himself, and so he took it, having a cigar in one of the empty meeting rooms he often returned to, just to get away from the fans, and sometimes Sallie. It was his little room of paradise, to be isolated, and to smoke his concerns away in a darkened room.

His mind tracked back to that meeting.

_Paris…I fucking hate Paris…_

He snarled to himself when he recalled the excitement Sallie had in her eyes when she looked at him, so _eager_ to do it as their next mission. There were other places, other _missions,_ and she had to choose the _worst_ one.

The meeting had left him uncomfortable. He simply didn’t like it.

_Fucking amazing. She can go there all alone, because I ain’t going back there!_

“Redline!”

He snapped out of his thoughts when Finn McMissile suddenly burst into the room. The DeRinger looked at him with a sullen ‘ _What the hell do you want?’,_ frowning as cigar smoke left his grille. But Finn looked panicked…that wasn’t like the old fool.

For a brief second, Finn grimaced to see Rod smoking. He would have been very disgruntled with the machine for smoking indoors at undesignated areas. But now wasn’t the time for trivial matters. “Please come with me. It’s Sallie,” The urgency in his voice provoked the DeRinger to move instantly, spitting his cigar into an ashtray and followed him promptly.

“Is she okay? Has something happened to her?” Rod demanded, a weird uncomfortable sensation plaguing through his chassis.

“I’m not too sure, Redline,” Finn said sadly. “I don’t _know,_ ”

Rod grumbled, not understanding his answer.

“How do you _not_ know?” Rod growled, almost forgetting who he was talking to until his caught himself, and his irritation subsided. Finn answered, infuriatingly calm.

“Mr. Forker had informed me about this situation and…I’m not going to lie, Redline, but I’m deeply concerned of Sallie,”

The two agents drove down the corridors at a brisk pace, and their determined speed informed nearby agents that they cannot be delayed, and so respectfully, many of them stepped to the sides of the corridors, allowing them to pass through easily with no interruptions. Finn was aware that Rod was looking at him with a blaze in his eyes, and yet he continued calmly. “He told me that she has been using the Simulators for a few hours. Which is okay, that is what they are used for after all,” The British agent’s gaze fell, suddenly looking sorrowful. “But I don’t think she’s using it to train herself,”

“What are you trying to say?”

Finn looked back at Rod suddenly.

“I think she’s punishing herself,” Finn studied the DeRinger and found that his features had quickly become one that radiated supressed anger and frustration.

_What is that idiotic human doing now?!_

_*_

##  SIMULATION ROOMS, C.H.R.O.M.E HQ, UNDERGROUND

They reached the elevators which brought them immediately down to the underground, where the C.H.R.O.M.E Simulation Rooms were kept. It was dark with no sunlight, but artificial lights were powered throughout the entire underground, lighting the path easily for agents to use any time they wished. Currently, the Simulation Rooms were not as busy as usual. Only the Forklift Pitties remained down here for most of the time, embellished in their white paintjobs and clipboards, for they were the ones in-charge of the simulations, having a vast knowledge on how to conduct them and perform certain tasks. It was impressive, really, how these guys could create a situation so quickly and so realistically.

The agents hurried down the long corridor towards where a group of Pitties huddled. They were gazing through the one-way window, watching the simulation in action.

Upon their arrival, the head of the Simulation rooms, Mr. Forker himself, saw Finn and Rod. His named often amused Sallie and Rod, to Mr. Forker’s displeasure, and they would snigger at one another like little kids about it, making jokes and terrible puns. But this time, it was no laughing matter. His irritated glare locked onto Rod. And the DeRinger knew he was in for a treat. Sallie was his responsibility, and therefore would mean all problems were going to him.

“About time you showed up!” Mr. Forker hissed, folding his metal arms. “Your partner is abusing the simulators,”

“Abusing?” Finn repeated, a little disapprovingly, and shook his hood. “Misuse would be a better word. Sallie is not a disrespectful member of our team,”

Mr. Forker sighed indignantly, rolling his eyes.

“Either way, she’s using it wrong. It’s going against our rules,” Spying Rod’s hot glare, the Forklift added: “Check it out yourself, Redline,” And then he backed away, allowing Finn and Rod to peer through the black-tinted window…

…From beyond the glass was another world, a fabricated one, but the sheer details of this simulation were almost impossible to doubt. It was almost perfect, almost _real_. It was a dark, gritty-looking parking lot, one of those car-park that were built underground, and no natural sunlight ever reached this level.

In the centre of the parking lot, a human stood strongly, pistols tightly clenched in shuddering hands. Sallie. Her back was to her audience, but she didn’t seem to care, or was _aware_ of their presence. Fresh crimson blood had splattered against her body, glossing the strange metallic contraption she was wearing.

Ahh, the TORQ power-suit. Currently MK1, it was a battle-suit the human had been working on for years, a suit that will, one day, connect with Rod and react in almost the same way as a machine, for the human. No one really understood her purpose for this suit, but she was happy tinkering with it and working on it whenever she was off-duty. Rod had assumed she was just making this for the sheer fun… but she was wearing it now, clunky, metallic and heavy. It was imperfect, evidently had flaws regarding weight and magnitude. But she wasn’t testing it for that. She was testing it for something _else_.

Sheer. Monstrous. _Power._

The TORQ MKI, right now, was built as armour to provide her protection and strength of a machine.

Finn gave Mr. Forker a questionable look.

“I don’t understand the problem,”

Mr. Forker shot him a hot glare.

“Wait for it…” He murmured, before looking back at the scene. Finn frowned, and returned his gaze onto the human agent.

The DeRinger watched through the window, his frown deepening at the scene before him as his attention was fixed onto Sallie and found her trembling, almost exhausted from a hard battle. All around her was a carpet of bodies. _Human_ bodies. But this was normal for her. She’ll attack and kill humans any day, sure…but she would never harm a machine. He didn’t understand what the big deal was. But he noticed how she was unmoved, and the simulation hadn’t stopped. The doors didn’t open.

No. She was _waiting_ for something…

Sallie didn’t move. The silence was killing her, pressing onto her ears painfully. She waited for him. Waited for him to finally come out. The TORQ suit hissed forcefully, disquieting the eerie silence for a moment, steam of exertion shooting out like a bio-mechanic war-machine. But she ignored it, already grown accustomed to the TORQ’s relief system. Her sharp eyes looked through the darkness, finding the corners of the parking lot to be the blackest of blacks. She suddenly felt alone.

Then, a cold breath of the breeze ran across her flesh, a chill rippling in its wake. And that was when she felt the ground beneath the soles of her boots tremble. There was no turning back now.

Finally, a voice lurked everywhere, and she couldn’t find the source of it.

“ _Sallie…_ ”

Sallie felt a flood of ice wash out from her heart, biting back hot tears that quickly threatened her. That voice still traumatized her, unmistakable. She cannot allow it to hurt her anymore! She will not let him overpower her anymore!

“Come out, you fucking bastard!” The human bellowed, feeling the hot sting of tears at the back of her eyes, and the quivering of her body began yet again, escalating in intensity, and it abruptly became uncontrollable.

“Oh, but I am already here…” Cooed the voice, a deep grating that sounded almost too malevolent to belong to any living creature. His voice was just as horrible as she recalled, the closest thing to unspeakable nightmares. And the detailing of this villain was too painful to comprehend. He looked so _real!_ “I have been waiting for this moment for _years_ , my little Mustang Sallie…” His words dripped from his lips so sickly.

At that point, a machine rolled out from the darkness, slowly revealing himself to the human as he loomed close to her, a daunting infamously-huge monster of a machine.

Daringly, Sallie looked up, and locked eyes with a pair of recognizable mismatched pupils, which stared down at her hungrily.

Rod didn’t recognise the voice at first, but he knew Sallie did, due to her reaction. And for a long while, he listened to the exchange between them, until-

Rod seized.

Before her, was Master Torque.

“You implemented _him?!_ ” Finn cried out, looking accusingly at Mr. Forker. Mr. Forker looked at his co-workers, directing the blame onto them.

“Actually, these guys did. The human insisted they put him into the system,”

“But why?! Do you not realise who he _is_ to her?!”

Mr. Forker shrugged carelessly.

“She asked for it. It’s none of my business,”

“You’re mine,” Master Torque grinned, his words devastatingly slow. “I can smell you on me…”

“I’m done with your shit, Torque!” Sallie was shaking violently, and even in the darkness the monstrous Mustang could make out those tears streaking down her eyes. She had failed to hold back her tears. The sight of him was a trigger to many awful memories. He had ruined everything! Destroyed her _life!_ He kidnapped her and buried her in a box underground! He _murdered_ her muscle-brother!

“Aw…you’re crying…” There was no sympathy in Master Torque’s comment. It was almost belittling.

Sallie ignored it, her face shadowed.

“A bastard like you should _die!_ You killed Duke!”

“Duke just got involved in a situation that did not concern him,” Master Torque murmured, his deep-bass voice rippled through the emptiness of the parking lot, haunting. He ran his tongue over his upper lip. “It was unfortunate, yes…but _no one_ will get in my way. I _own_ you, Sallie!” His eyes hardened onto the human, and Sallie was staring back at a killer. “I will _kill_ Redline!”

Sallie felt her heart shudder under his glare, and then a slow snarl came from her throat as she took her stance.

“The only one who is going to die is _you_ …and _I_ am the one who will kill you…” Then she shrieked. “ _I HATE YOU!_ ”

A battle-cry escaped the human, and the final battle began.

Master Torque came at her like a bull, roaring as he charged; Sallie levelled her pistols and shot him square in the hood, making the Mustang bellow and skidded around violently, watching her leaping out of the way. The TORQ suit provided her with the extra speed to narrowly avoid the menace machine. Sallie backed away quickly, regaining more space between her and Master Torque.

She saw the Mustang circle around harshly, his baleful stare on Sallie, and she felt ice sliding through her veins. The roar of Sallie’s pistols sounded like a cannon on the still of the night.

“No one is going to separate us anymore! _No one_!” Master Torque thundered, black oil seeping down from the bullet wounds of his hood and chassis. A couple of bullets won’t be enough for him. He had purposely reinforced his chassis since the Ricer attack years ago. He was almost deemed impossible to defeat.

“Shut the _fuck_ up _!_ ” And with that burst of emotion, Sallie charged towards the Mustang ruthlessly, her pistols blazing violently as Master Torque rushed to meet her. She threw herself onto the floor in an awkward evasion, her boot slightly clipping with Master Torque’s fender. Another narrow miss.

Finn felt distraught. He could see Sallie’s stricken eyes, tears freely fall from her face. She was already breaking, sobbing and shrieking almost hysterically. He had _never_ seen Sallie like this before. No human should do this. And her emotions had clearly taken control of her body. Without any calm logic behind her attacks, this battle will soon end badly. How badly? He didn’t wish to find out.

Rod could feel his own fury building up inside.

 _This had to fucking end!_ He fumed within, scowling at Finn, who thought of the same thing.

“Stop the simulation!” Finn ordered now, unable to take any more of this. He felt his chassis stiffen when he saw the callous reaction from Mr. Forker.

“Can’t.” He tutted, and noticed the dark stare from the DeRinger, evidently not pleased of being denied. Mr. Forker simply explained. “Not until a ‘death’ occurs,”

 _Damn, not one of_ these _sims._ A simulated death does not hurt, but it cleverly re-enacts it in order to keep the realism during the session. And a part of him did not want to see this. Of course, there was the ability of simply unplugging the system from its power. But that was not the best solution, for it would startle the entire electrical structure of C.H.R.O.M.E and would most likely cause a black-out.

Rod’s eyes instinctively shot towards the window when he heard Sallie scream, watching her pitched bodily across the parking lot; and she slammed against the stone pillars that held the roof above them. Master Torque was charging back at her, like a child at play, sick elation in his eyes. His engine seized when he watched the scene, waiting for the human to be crushed by the Mustang-

No, she threw herself out of the way just in a time. A moment too late and she would have been crushed between the stone pillar and the mustang’s hood. The DeRinger noticed how the TORQ had taken another form, transforming into MKII. The metallic plates have reset into different positions and restructured a new, powerful form. This form seemed tougher...

Sallie ran away from Master Torque, who was busy trying to drag himself out of the broken pillar that crushed him together, and when he locked his eyes onto the human, Rod knew he had finally snapped. The Mustang’s pupils dinted, hauntingly frightening. Now, Master Torque had gone berserk!

“ **I’LL END YOU!** ” He roared, and once again charged towards Sallie, who ran back at him, her arms out forward, as if she was attempting to push him back-

_What was she trying to do?!_

To Rod’s dismay, the TORQ failed her.

The human’s forward momentum was checked violently, as if by a hammer blow, and she was lifted off her feet to collapse heavily to the cold stone of the road. The fall was harsh, knocking the wind out of her lungs, and her pistols bounced out of her numb fingers, scattering across the parking lot at an unreachable distant. Dark blooms of blood moistening the steel of the TORQ suit and seeping from her hairline to inch down her face. And yet, by a miracle, she was still alive. But her entire body seized for a moment in raw shock of the collision.

Sallie tried to quickly regain consciousness that she was losing, and by the time she got the strength to move, Master Torque was hounding down over her, his hood looming her. His entire chassis had taken over the world, and all she could see was _him_!

Then, he groaned lowly.

“You’re mine…”

Master Torque leaned down, his mouth dropping open as if attempting to bite the human’s head off, and with a scream of animal fear, Sallie’s arms instinctively reached up and grabbed onto his mouth, one hand on his upper lip, and the other on his lower lip, trying to push the prying jaw away from her. But even with the TORQ’s strength, it wasn’t enough, and she felt the power ebbing away from her, the sheer strength of Master Torque overwhelming her easily, and he was getting closer and closer. Soon, his teeth were above her skull. And then she was gripped with a terrible, cold realization.

This is how she’s going to die…

“Stop it!” Finn demanded urgently, and even with the desperation in his voice, Mr. Forker sighed.

“I told you. I can’t. Sorry boss,” His comment was almost smug. That pissed Rod off.

“Like fucking hell it can’t!” The DeRinger finally snapped, and he honed towards the power-supply.

Finn turned to him suddenly.

“Redline, wait-!”

But Finn knew he was far too late. Just like that, the entire building fell into darkness, surprisingly many innocent bystanders within the building. Many halted their daily duties and looked around in confusion, wondering why there was a sudden black-out.

It had also killed the power of the simulator, and it erased Master Torque too. Suddenly, everything stopped and vanished. Sallie almost felt at relief when it occurred, uncertain what had happened. Her pose froze for a long time, her breathing frantic, until she had finally come to terms that the battle was over, and her arms fell heavily onto the floor. The battle had ended by default, not because she was defeated, and she pondered what happened, staring back at the darkness of the simulation cage, trying to regain strength and breath.

“Oh, nice one, Hot-Shot!” The annoyed voice of Mr. Forker came to her ear. “Now we’re gonna have to reset the whole system!”

She heard the voices coming from beyond the window up ahead, and she turned her head to see that the entire simulation team had been watching her with Finn and-

_Oh no!_

Her heart sank when she saw Rod.

He was obviously furious, not caring about Finn’s or Mr. Forker’s desires at this point. This was getting out of control, and he wasn’t going to stay still and watch Sallie doing this to herself.

_Why did she do this…?_

She would need to give him a damn good explanation when he gets her…

“Reset it then,” Rod replied, his husky voice sounding in the darkness. “I’m done with this,”

Then she heard the DeRinger leaving, his engine softening as he drove away, the beams of his headlights giving him path to get back to the quarters he shared with Sallie.

Groaning to herself, Sallie’s bone-tired arms lifted, and she pressed her hands against her face in weariness as the TORQ began to break down to the MKI, but it malfunctioned in the process. She wished that was the only thing she was bothered about. But it was a mere setback compared to the wrath of Rod that awaited her.

A pair of headlights shone at her, and she turned to see Finn approaching her slowly, looking sad.

“Sallie, are you alright?”

The human forced a smile, as if doing so would hide her red eyes and tearful features.

“The TORQ needs tweaking, but I think I’m onto something,”

Finn didn’t smile back. He didn’t have the heart to brush this aside so easily as she did. He had grown deeply concerned about the human for a while now. There was a deeper meaning to this.

“Sallie, why did you do this?”

“I was testing the TORQ,”

Finn tilted his hood, unconvinced.

“ _Were_ you?” He asked, looking at the TORQ suit. It had seen better days, and evidence that it had been undergoing some excessive tension and experimentations. When Sallie was silent, he looked back at her and saw her staring at him in mute-defeat.


	3. NOT ALONE

#  ** CHAPTER 3: NOT ALONE **

##  ROD REDLINE AND SALLIE KNIGHT’S DORM, C.H.R.O.M.E HQ

A few hours had passed by.

Sallie hoped that Rod wouldn’t be in their dorm by the time she returned. The power had finally come back, reviving the entire building of CHROME. She squirmed in uncomfortable acknowledgement when she heard passing conversations of the other agents, hearing the words ‘Simulation’ and ‘Gone bad’. She knew she was to blame but kept her nonchalant attitude up.

“Hey, Sal, you heard about a simulator screwing up the power?” Max had asked as she past him in the corridor, and she felt awful for faking her concern, but was so humiliated that she couldn’t confess it. She knew the truth.

She wasn’t clad in the TORQ MKI power-suit. Instead, she had returned to her casual black tank-top and jeans, her boots lightly thudding down the empty corridor of the quarters.

The human pushed the door open and seized coldly when her eyes matched with the frosty DeRinger’s glare. He was laying on his plush bed and had been lying there for the last few hours. He had stupidly been attempting to sleep his temper away but found it nearly impossible.

He hadn’t left the dorm since. He had nothing to do, and a lot to think about.

 _First the Paris shit, now this… what else, woman?_ He had fumed internally.

But, right now, he didn’t want to think, he just wanted to smoke a cigar and forget all about this shit… but he simply couldn’t.

Sallie froze, staring back at his cold eyes. She was waiting for a frenzied scolding from her agent-partner. But a harsh pang of hurt came to her when he took his eyes away from her, wordlessly. He had dismissed her, and that hurt her more than she predicted.

_Grumpy bastard…_

A small urge rose inside of her to speak, and she opened her mouth to ask Rod the stupid ‘Are you okay’ question, but found her words choking her. She knew nothing was going to help the situation, or change his mind, or excuse herself for her actions… even if she did no intentional harm to anyone else but _herself_.

The room, she noticed, had a subtle scent of cigar smoke, and she frowned at it slightly. Damn bastard shouldn’t even _smoke_ in here. But it gave her a warning: He was in a _terrible_ mood.

With a deep, slow sigh, she closed the door behind her, the silence unbearable between them. The only time this dorm had been this disturbingly silent was when they were away, on a mission, together. Her eyes found the kettle at the small corner kitchen, the perfect distraction, and she walked across the dorm to the kettle, fixing herself a cup of coffee in hopes it would ease the ache. She kept her back to Rod, her eyes locked onto the cup as she hunched over the counter, almost too afraid to look anywhere else.

_Never turn your back to an angry muscle-car, Sal…_

Rod’s very own words.

This was different. Sallie _trusted_ Rod with her life, but even now she couldn’t shake off this god-awful tension that stiffened her muscles and ached her head. She felt on edge now, knowing that Rod was pissed off. Probably at her. And people _died_ when Rod got angry.

Death was not her biggest worry though…

Sallie thought about the Paris mission, and how Rod reacted when the mission was offered to them. He denied it instantly, but she was _very_ eager, excited to explore this beautiful city with her best friend. He never did quite explain why he refused, and it was infuriating! If it was such a big issue with him, why won’t be explain about it?

Rod was a very hard machine to talk to, sometimes.

Perhaps she could go alone, as Rod ‘delicately’ demanded her to. She could do this by herself, sure!

But Finn wouldn’t allow it, and _Steve_ would forbid her. If Finn’s words didn’t stop her, Steve’s authority certainly will. There was no way to go about it alone. She was a young agent, yes, but she wasn’t a fucking _trainee_! She had experienced more tragedies and hardships than 90% of the agents in this damn building!

How _depressing,_ when she looked at it that way…

Her gaze fell.

“Why did you do that?” Rod’s deep voice broke the silence at last, an awful grill in his tone. He knew that, by the way she looked at him, that she was feeling awful for what she had done, but his reaction was to be expected, right? He had found himself worrying about the human and, acting by instinct, went to save her, even if she wasn’t going to die. That it was a purely fabricated situation. But…

“I was testing the TORQ,” She merely replied, gathering a spoon of coffee. Her hands were trembling, and she had figured that she was gripped with a _terrible_ feeling of anxiety. Rod’s voice made her both laugh and smile, and cry and quiver. If those powerful blue eyes didn’t stop you in your path, his voice surely did! Sallie had heard this tone of voice before, when he interrogated previous villains, but this time it hit her harder. It was personal.

She hid her trembling hands from Rod, hoping he wouldn’t see her.

“Testing the TORQ, or _torturing_ yourself?”

Sallie swallowed hard, saying nothing. But her silence was enough for the DeRinger to figure out her answer. She couldn’t lie to him. He knew her so well! _Too_ well, it was sometimes petrifying. And even with a half-ass excuse that was partly true, how could she lie after that? She couldn’t cover up a fact so painfully obvious as that! The C.H.R.O.M.E simulation team had _plenty_ of pre-made existing villains, just as lethal as Master Torque, to test the suit. But why _him?!_

The human felt her shoulders tighten when she heard the muscle-car getting off his bed, rolling closer to her. “Why would you put yourself through _that?_ Do you think it’s fucking healthy for your mind?” Rod’s features hardened. “Why was _he_ simulated?”

Sallie held her tongue down at the bite of his voice, and closed her eyes tightly, hoping he would leave her alone. Yet her answer…she couldn’t find it. Or, at least she though she did… but it feared the DeRinger now, as if sensing his presence daunting over her.

No reply. And Rod found himself bristling with frustration. He was determined to make her speak, to find out whatever was in her mind the moment she decided to torture herself. He knew, for a fact, it wasn’t to test that damn TORQ suit.

“Will you _fucking_ answer me?!” Rod growled. It was then he had noticed that she was shaking. Maybe he was being a bit too harsh on her, but he had to know what was going on in the human’s mind.

And at that moment, as if it was triggered, his demand has ignited a cold fire. And then-

“It’s because I _wanted_ Master Torque there!” Sallie screamed, and instantly her tears burst out of her eyes hysterically. She couldn’t look at him, she was just unable to bring herself to do so.

Rod frowned at her sudden outburst, but he kept quiet, watching her break down before him… this wasn’t what he had wanted, this was _never_ his intention, and he couldn’t help but feel a slight slither of guilt hitting him, enduring her poignant eruption. “That monster ruined everything I had! _Everything_! He took my life, he took my sanity, he took my dreams! He _fucking_ took Duke away from me!” Her screams became more frantic, increasing in volume to the point her howls of dismay were reaching the high ceiling of their dorm. No doubt innocent bystanders had heard a glimpse of it. “I hate myself for being so weak and pathetic! A feeble little bastard human who failed to protect her own! I’m a fucking _disaster_!” She threw her fist onto the counter brutally, making her cup and teaspoon tremor at the force of it. “I’m creating the TORQ to save _lives_ , and if it can’t handle a simple simulation of that bastard himself, then it is not _good enough!_ ”

Sallie spun around to finally look at the DeRinger, her hair whipping violently around her face, and Rod stared at her tearful eyes intensely, seeing a tragic wrath that had never been there before. He watched as her quivering hands reached up for her head, clutching at both sides of her skull as if unable to contain the enormous heartache that crippled through her. She was shaking uncontrollably. “He has been _torturing_ my mind since day one! He’s been plaguing my sleep with nightmares! I keep thinking he’s going to come into this room and fucking kill _you!_ And if he ever does come here, and I break down into this fucking mess you see right now, how can I _save_ you, or _anyone?!_ ” Her hands balled into tight fists, and she was trying to stop her rant, but her words easily kept steamrolling. “In order for me to become stronger, I must first _hurt_ myself, until the pain is numb, and then I can cope with it!” Finally, she regained power over herself, and her words were broken up, choking on emotion, and then in the end, her voice dropped into a small, fragile whimper. “I cannot…let…him win… _again_ …”

And there it was.

Rod stared at Sallie for a while, mutely, before he soon exhaled a small sigh, the anger seemingly replaced by sympathy.

“Sallie…” He said in a soft, smooth voice. “You don’t have to do this alone,” He frowned. “I get what you’re trying to do. But torturing yourself this way is not the solution _,_ ” His frown softened, his voice dropping to a gentle rumble. “It’s not on you to protect me. You’re _my_ responsibility, and I should be the one protecting you from shit like _that,_ ”

“That’s exactly what Duke said to me before!” Sallie exclaimed in distressing defeat, her eyes wide with pain. “He told me he would protect me, and he did. But in the end, he _died!_ I cannot let anyone do the same mistake. I _can’t_ lose you too! I’m a stupid human, just fragile and meek. I’m not made of chrome and pistons like you! Everyone…” She slowly stopped again, her hurt anger seemed to be faltering now, leaving her emotionally exhausted and drained. Fresh, hot tears brimmed her lashes and rolled down her cheeks as she looked down at her shaking hands. Pitifully _tiny_ hands. And with that bitter thought, Sallie’s back slid down the counter, collapsing onto the floor in defeat, her legs sprawled. And now, drained, the human sat on the floor, emptied by her emotions, her weeping gaze fallen onto the floor, unable to take Rod’s serious gaze. She had already failed him, disappointing him. She was no true agent. She was simply a burden for the DeRinger… “Everyone who I have loved and trusted either died, or became a monster, because of _me_ …”

“That… doesn’t mean it’ll happen again,” He replied, his eyes staring at her, her tears making him feel a little heartbroken. He knew that nothing he’d say would change her mind, but he couldn’t keep quiet about it. Sallie was beating herself up too much. She couldn’t keep doing this to herself. “Whatever the problem is, it’s not you. And you doing this to yourself will only make things worse,” He sighed again, frowning. “Trust me, Sal… you don’t have to do this alone,”

His words seemed to have finally gotten through the human. Rod watched Sallie as she relaxed at last, her emotional whirlwind calming down, and despite her tear-streaked face, she was not crying anymore.

She began to rub her eyes dry with the heel of her palm, unable to look levelly at Rod. She felt ashamed for letting her emotions get the better of her. Of course, she couldn’t get away with this, especially from someone like Rod Redline. That was the beauty of Rod. Even in such distressing situations, he always seemed to keep his calm, and whenever Sallie broke, he was the only one that could get through to her. Sometimes a simple calm stare with those deep-blue eyes were enough. Sometimes his voice was all she needed.

“I just don’t want him to keep controlling my life. I _know_ he’s in Sin City Prisons, that’s why it annoys me so much…he’s locked up and yet still has some sort of power over me,”

“He’s not impossible to beat, it’s on me to protect you and if he, somehow, reaches you, I won’t lose against him,” Rod replied, utterly confident about his abilities. Sure, that Mustang was a beast in comparison, with those ridiculous spikes and that intimidating, unpredictable attitude, but Rod had been trained for this. He wasn’t just a pretty chassis.

Sallie giggled softly. Rod was so egotistic at times. Occasionally it was mind-numbingly annoying. But a lot of the time, it was just _Rod,_ speaking the truth. It was the way he was, and at times his ego wasn’t always in her face. There had been moments that his confidence and ego was all she had to comfort her and that she would have been lost and _destroyed_ without that confidence of his, as she had none in herself.

What he said was true, and she had to agree with him. He was a very highly-skilled machine. She had seen him perform stunts she had thought would be impossible for a machine his size. She recalled the first time she witnessed Rod promptly killing a machine in front of her with such stealth she had thought she had gone deaf from the freezing Russian air, and just when she was about to weep, his voice soothed scars she did not know she had. The DeRinger was certainly an interesting machine. Very skilled, professional…she adored him for his flaws and perfections.

He was her best friend…her _hero!_

Rod was _amazing_! Despite being a grumpy ‘fat American bastard’.

“I guess I can take your word for it,” She said with a small smirk, pretending as if she didn’t believe him. He wouldn’t lose against Master Torque. Unlike the Mustang, Rod was imperturbable and firm, his actions calculated. Master Torque was frantic, wildly senseless…just a sad fucking mess she once relied on…

Tiredly, she ran a hand through her hair, pulling the loose strands back behind her ears. Her mind traced back to that sunny office back in Beverly Hills, with that glorious therapist. He was the one that helped brought those foundations of confidence back. She smiled wearily at the thought. “Dr. Tread helped me so much after that shit,” She finally looked up. “Honestly, Rod…I wouldn’t even have this conversation with you if I didn’t see him,” Her extensive therapy sessions with the BMW i8 was a sensitive subject she often kept quiet about, but she knew that Rod was aware of the gritty details of her history.

“You have to think more about Dr. Tread’s advice, I’m sure this is not what he’d like to see,”

She sighed deeply, her gaze falling. He was right. Dr. Tread would not approve of such methods. He was always disgruntled when she punished herself, and while it wasn’t as obvious and common like self-harming oneself physically… she was always driven to punish herself mentally, to _destroy_ her greatest weakness: Her heart. But Dr. Tread made it certain she kept it. It was what this world needed, he reminded her.

_Use your scars to make you stronger. Don’t let them hurt you._

What she was doing to herself was just what Dr. Tread made her promise she wouldn’t do ever again…

She groaned softly in defeat at that thought.

“I’m sorry… I just feel useless sometimes,”

Rod’s eyes held onto the human for a time, a little stung by such a comment. He rolled closer to her.

“Sal, you wouldn’t be here if you were useless. And you know that,”

It was rare to hear Rod say such things in a tender voice. But she just _loved_ it. It helped her get through so much, calmed down her urges and desperation, reminding her to take control, reminding her of who she _really_ was. Sometimes she wonders if Rod realised how much it helped her.

A hand lifted, and gently rested on the hood of the DeRinger, rubbing it in a form of companionship. Rod raised an eyelid at the human. Usually, he’d tell her not to touch him, because he just didn’t like _anyone_ doing so, even less if it was a human. It was just something he disliked for some unknown reason. But… this wasn’t one of those moments, he wasn’t going to make her feel worse. It wasn’t as terrible as he thought, though.

He watched her calmly, scrutinizing her. She looked exhausted, and he knew for sure that it wasn’t the Simulation that had brought her down. Of course, it did not help. But he knew that, every day, the human was facing a battle, and it always started with the very thought of getting out of bed and facing the world that had took everything away from her. Twice. But now, she was trying to get control of herself again, trying to face reality as she had done before those tragedies. There had been days where she suffered, bed-bound, refusing to leave the sanctuary of their dorm. Even with Rod’s stern growls of frustration, or Steve’s military wake-up call. She looked so small and fragile, so _wounded_ beneath those blankets, as if her bed was her only safe haven. But then he reminded himself of that one day, when everything was suddenly okay with her. She had peeked through the blankets and found Rod’s hood poking under the blanket to wake her up, and she _wept_. She cried at the very sight of him. For a horrifying moment, he thought she was crying because she was _scared of him_ , but his theory was proven wrong when she hugged onto his hood and cried for his name. She sounded… _happy._ She was happy to see him, and it was then he realised that he was her _only_ reason in getting out of bed. What was once Duke’s podium was now Rod’s, and he took it gladly.

He stared at Sallie, a small smile stretching his lips at the memories. They were tragic incidents but with happy endings, and he had watched, trained and assist _e_ d this human-agen _t gro_ w into something much more! He wouldn’t dare say it out-loud, but he had to admit, he was _so proud_ of her!

Sallie looked at Rod and their eyes locked, and then Rod felt a flood of relief to see Sallie flashing a typical naughty smirk, stirring into the challenge of winding the DeRinger up.

“Yeah, I know. I’m an accessory for you, only here to make you look good, Muscles!” She patted his hood in good-humour, and he grinned smugly.

“Pfft! I look good all by myself, and you know that, Crumpet!”

They shared a soft chuckle, but then Sallie saw Rod’s expression drop, becoming serious. “About Paris… will you go?”

His question made Sallie’s smile falter at the edges, and her gaze dropped. She had been considering this for some time, since the announcement. But Rod was adamant in not doing it. She had never done a mission without Rod before, and she didn’t like the idea of doing this alone, _without him_. It pained her, but…

Without replying, she stood up at last, walking towards the large window and stared at the gorgeous sun that shone all around the HQ, the sky clear and brilliantly-blue. They made her think of Rod’s eyes.

“No one is taking it…” She murmured at last, folding her arms. It was true. No one seemed interested in the mission. Perhaps it was because it wasn’t as exhilarating as infiltrating a secret base or rescuing anyone. No, it was about a missing painting… There were no kidnappings, or death-threats, or anything extreme. But someone, one way or another, was being affected by it. Someone was in trouble and had no one else to turn to. She shook her head, disapproving that thought. “But I can’t leave it untouched. I feel as though I had been put onto this planet to help others in need. Someone out there is suffering as we speak…”

Rod stared at her, his hard gaze fixated and severe, already knowing the answer she was gently implying. But deep down he held onto hope, stupidly, that his assumption would be wrong.

_Please say you won’t do it…_

He studied the back of Sallie, who stared out through the window as if considering her options. She was thinking hard. Thinking about someone, and how _he_ would do it.

_‘One Knight can make a difference…’_

Her Ford-Father’s words…

Finally, she hung her head.

“I’m going,”

Rod exhaled to himself, exasperated. He knew he had told her to go alone, but he didn’t mean it. He couldn’t just let her do this alone…what would happen if something happened to her? He couldn’t do that to her, couldn’t put her in such potential danger.

“If there is no fucking way in convincing you not to go…” His eyes looked aside, his mind screaming at him to dismiss this and just let her go. But there was an uncontrollable desire to stay beside her, this burning pressure to protect her. His antagonised refusal was defeated by his wish to keep her safe. “I’ll have to go with you,”

Sallie’s head perked up in disbelief, and she faced the DeRinger, who was watching her determinedly. She had thought she misheard him. But there was no sign of deceit in his features.

She knew Rod, _so well_! But there were times where even _she_ didn’t understand him. He was a painful enigma that she found herself so fond of and had been caught by surprise many times.

A small weak smile tugged at the end of her lips, dismissively.

“I… don’t know what you have against Paris, and knowing you, I may _never_ find out.” Her arms fell slack on both sides, looking unconvinced. “But you don’t have to go with me if you don’t want to. I’ll be fine alone,” Her words did not match her eyes, conflicting. Behind her eyes she was screaming, possessing this deep urge to stay by Rod’s side. But she had to push that desire away, knowing that, after all, one day she was going to have to do missions alone, without Rod. She had to develop as an expert agent of C.H.R.O.M.E unaccompanied at some point. “It would be wrong of me to force you to come with me,” Her eyes closed sadly. “I know Steve wouldn’t let me go on my own, but it’s worth a try anyway,” She shrugged, looking at Rod, who only stared at her with a strange expression in his eyes. It looked like _desperation_.

Sallie glanced at the clock that ticked painfully loud in the silence. “I’m sorry, Muscles. But don’t worry, he’ll probably shove Holley or Finn to watch over me,” She’d rather have Finn rather than Holley, not that the human had any serious issues with her. Holley was a delightful machine to talk and be around with, always making anyone feel welcome, human and machine.

…It was just that she was plain, _annoyingly happy,_ her forever optimistic outlook on life clashing against her own pessimistic viewpoint, and she couldn’t bear with that during any missions. Lunch-times were hard enough!

The human gave her DeRinger partner one last defeated smile before making her way to the door. “I’ll let you know what happens, okay?”

“Okay…” Came the deep murmur, and Rod watched the door close behind Sallie. And then he was alone.

His eyes dropped to the carpet for a moment, listening to the ticking of the clock, and then back at the window, deep in thought.


	4. MISSION 19 - PARIS

#  ** CHAPTER 4: MISSION 19 - PARIS **

##  MISSION PREPARTION ROOM A.K.A STEVE’S OFFICE, C.H.R.O.M.E HQ

Sallie was surprised to have found Steve in the Mission Preparation Room, busy yet free from the other lively agents that tend to surround him. She simply brushed it off that the missions had been dealt with, and that the agents on duty had prepared themselves already. The Mission Preparation Room was also the E-Type Jaguar’s office, and so it wasn’t unnatural for it to have the constant scent of light oil and coffee. Steve practically lived here, if he wasn’t outside training young rookies. The room was a long chamber, with high ceilings and walls made of darkly-tinted glass, revealing a mute active headquarters outside. Beyond the glass, humans and machines went by idly, talking to fellow agents or rushing to certain meeting rooms. Just as the viewing windows of the simulation rooms, it was one-way. Sallie could see everyone from within, but from the outside it was simple black glass for privacy. Large screens revealing classified information about wanted criminals, weapons and stats of agents decorated the room, each screen changing every time Sallie visited this room. This room was the centre of the _entire_ C.H.R.O.M.E HQ, the heart of the building.

The human reached to tap her knuckles on the doorway, but Steve’s eyes found Sallie before she could knock, and he beamed a companionable smile at her.

“Ah, Sallie. Just the agent I wanted to see,” His tone of voice was kind yet authoritative. It no longer held the underlined threat that Sallie once heard when she first met him. She used to be so intimidated by the British ex-soldier. But now, she had grown warm to his manners, and could easily talk to him without any fear. Rod terrified her more.

She took a step in when Steve beckoned a welcoming tyre at her, the door sliding close behind her.

“Hey Steve, you doing okay?”

“Not too bad, thank you,” Steve smiled, his autumn-brown eyes regarding her. He always found Sallie to be the politest human he had recruited. If he didn’t know Sallie’s history, he would have _no_ idea what kind of a life she had. He would have assumed she had a perfect, normal life. Maybe that was what he liked most about her. At times, she was more machine at heart than human. “Now, a little Mini told me that a certain human had decided to use the Simulation like an idiot,” His eyes stared at her knowingly, and despite his comment being light-hearted, Sallie felt shame rushing through her. She shrugged with a sheepish smile.

“Well, I mean, I wasn’t _misusing_ it like Jamie,”

Steve cocked an eyelid at her.

“I think implementing that Mustang-Bastard into the Sims is a misuse of conduct, am I correct?” He gave her a thin, tight smile, proving a point, and knew that Sallie couldn’t really defeat herself after that. Her smile dropped, looking guilty. “Besides, you’re only a Level 19 Agent. A villain like Torque would be considered an enemy for _serious_ professionals,” He paused. “I have reviewed the footage after Mr. Forker reported the incident to me, and I have to admit, you were doing rather well.” He watched Sallie’s eyes brighten in glee. “But not well enough to defeat him,” And then it was gone again.

The Jaguar rolled away from his desk, turning to Sallie. “Whenever you engage in a battle with someone like _him_ , you must _not_ let your emotions take control of the wheel. _You_ need to hold them down, otherwise you would be blinded by the desire of _winning_ , not defeating.”

“What’s the difference?”

Steve smiled proudly, still glad that, despite his critiques, Sallie was willing to understand her mistakes and learn them. She had asked endless question to both himself, Finn and Rod. Rod would often tell her to shut up, to his amusement, but it was a rare trait for a young agent. It was the very foundation of improvement. He made sure his agents, rookies or professionals, were _never_ frightened in asking questions. Unanswered questions led to mistakes, and mistakes led to accidents, and accidents tend to bring them bitter consequences.

“Winning would be like racing. You push yourself to become the very best, to beat everyone! Winning is only temporary until the next race. Defeating, however, is to _stop_ your rivals all together, once and for all. To put an _end_ to their tyranny. And you were trying to win a battle that was already decided the instant you started that Simulation, _knowing_ Torque was going to be there. You already lost.” Steve gauged Sallie’s expression, expecting her to look frustrated as she did. But he knew that she was taking in his advice and understanding this. He had hoped that she would take his advice on board next time, when she was battling with someone as minor as an angry street-fighter, and not a fucking godly-beast like Master Torque.

“But my emotions are my strongest point,”

“It’s also your greatest weakness, and Torque knew that,”

Sallie’s frown deepened, looking a little wounded. Steve thought for a moment, his eyes searching the ceiling for his words, trying to make it clearer for Sallie.

“Say that… Torque was made of fire, and you were made of oil.” He opened out his tyres, gesturing his point. “What would that result to if you two were put together?”

“A pretty fucking big fire,”

“ _Exactly_ ,”

A spark of realisation came to the human’s expression. Steve continued. “You put fire and oil together, it’ll be a big explosion, one that _will_ cost lives. That is what you two are like when put in a room together. You’re _furious_ and unforgiving to Torque. Believe me, I heard all that bullshit you screamed at him in the Sim. But Torque _enjoys_ that. It’s what he wants and antagonises it out of you, making your emotions much more uncontrollable, and therefore the mission is already compromised before you know it. There is no turning back at this point.” Steve began to roll down the Mission Preparation room, towards the gadget-wall, weaponry and Uniform-platform, and Sallie followed beside him, listening to him carefully. The world rolled on, unaware of their presence. Steve knew of the perfect example to help Sallie. “Now, let’s think about if Redline was in that same situation as you then. He’s against Torque. What is he in this equation if Torque was fire?”

“A bastard,” Sallie blurted out involuntarily, a held fist flew in front of her mouth a moment too late. Steve gave her a slight grin, knowing her relationship and infamous name-calling at her agent-partner. He gave her some time to redeem herself. “Water, right?”

Steve squinted.

“Close,” He halted by the time they had reached the other end of the room, where a bright-white platform faced them, the length of the walls now consisted of a series of countless screens, contraptions and buttons, a pleasant heat generating from them. “Redline would be a piston,” Spying the human’s confused glare, he reiterated his answer. “See it like this: Torque is fire, or rather a spark for argument’s sake, and Rod is a piston. He _knows_ that he is better and stronger than Torque, despite the size difference. And in every situation, what is he so good at?”

“He remains calm,”

“Correct. You’ve never seen Redline lose his shit, right?” Sallie nodded. “Redline is calm, even under pressure. He can take the brute force of Torque, and therefore uses it to his advantage. He knows how to use it, how to let it work for him, and understands what he can tolerate. Now, what are Pistons renown to work best in?”

“Under pressure with a spark!”

Steve felt his heart warming up to see the elation in Sallie now, as she had finally realised his point. That genuine expression of comprehension, when everything made sense, hitting a rookie as they were learning was certainly most satisfying!

Steve nodded his hood in pride.

“What I’m trying to say, Sallie, is that not every situation can be handled with just pure emotion. Sure, adrenaline and heart can help a situation, but not all the time. Sometimes you need to take in the situation and use it to your advantage. You need to be clever about it, and most importantly, calm.” Steve glanced at the monitor, spying a couple of machines relaxing by the gym. They seemed to have just finished a work-out session in there with Gary, a laidback Land Rover, but a good corporal trainer, nonetheless. “Anyway, this isn’t class,” He chuckled to himself, his eyes looking back at Sallie. “What’s the matter?”

“I would like to take the Paris mission, please,”

Steve blinked, a little taken back. He had not expected Sallie to request a mission at this time. She was normally the very first at his door with Rod. Speaking of which…

“Where’s Redline?”

He noticed her hesitation.

“He’s not joining me,”

“What do you mean? Of course, he’s joining you. I can’t let you go on a mission on your own. You’re not ready,”

“I can do this on my own. It’s only level GREEN, right? Nothing serious,”

Steve’s eyelid furrowed. Something wasn’t right.

“Serious or not, I’m not letting you go alone. I’m sorry, Sallie.” He cocked an eyelid. “Besides, Redline is joining you. I don’t understand this,”

Sallie sighed, deeply and slowly.

“Rod doesn’t want to join me in this mission, you see. He has this…hatred for Paris, and I don’t understand it myself. He won’t tell me. But I can’t bear the thought of just letting someone suffer,”

Steve smiled faintly, sympathetically. He understood Sallie’s compassion in helping those in need. But he couldn’t just let her go alone, even if she wanted to. Besides, it still made no sense to him. Unless…

He tilted his hood slightly.

“I’m afraid the Paris mission has already been taken,”

He watched Sallie’s face drop, looking aggrieved and disappointed. It bothered him to see her looking pained by such a decision, but he knew it wouldn’t last long. Sallie was always able to bounce back. Besides, he knew what he was doing.

“I’m sorry,”

“Don’t be,” Steve replied kindly. “Sometimes these missions get taken up so quickly,”

“Who took the mission?”

For a while, Steve said nothing. Then, at the right moment, the door behind Steve opened, and her answer was there.

“Sorry for being fashionably late, sir,”

Sallie’s eyes flooded with mute-euphoria when she looked up, and saw Rod rolling down to join them. Steve couldn’t help but chuckle at her reaction. Rod Redline was a crafty man-machine. He nodded his hood at Rod.

“This bastard took the mission,” He smirked, and Sallie had to contain herself from hugging Rod. It would be considered unprofessional in front of their boss to Rod, and Sallie knew she would gain a few new bruises from it. She mouthed ‘thank you’, and that was all Rod needed.

He knew he was going to regret this, but seeing her reaction was worth it.

*

At so, in the end, Rod had decided to go to the mission in Paris with Sallie. While she had made her way to Steve’s office, the DeRinger called Steve to take the mission with his human. He swore he would never put a tyre on that awful city again, but could he leave Sallie all by herself? No, he simply couldn’t. It was not that he didn’t believe in her skills, or that he had considered her weak, but Sallie… was Sallie. She was impulsive, fearless, and most of all, _human_.

Besides, this wasn’t the hardest mission anyway. It would be child’s play! Just a missing painting. They would get it over and done with quickly, and then he would never have to come back to Paris. Or France, because the whole country reminded him off-

“Okay, Redline and Knight,”

Rod looked up from his thoughts to see Steve before them. Even though the E-Type Jaguar was smaller in chassis-height, Rod never judged a machine by its size. He knew that Steve would easily throttle him to the ground with unspeakable speed and strength. And so, he gave him his greatest respects. Sallie mirrored his respect, mostly because, perhaps, she saw Steve as a fatherly-figure. He would never be this Capri Knight he had heard so much about, but he knew that Steve was the closest to a father to the human.

Rod and Sallie stood side-by-side, straight and rigid as if they were soldiers, regarding Steve with focused, firm gazes. The British Jaguar rolled from left to right before them as he recited his overview of the mission. “While McMissile is receiving the documents for this mission, let me talk throughout the mission. A simple mission, so do not fret if you return empty-handed. It does happen sometimes. You are both aware that this is a mission set in Paris, France. You will be sent to a small yet comfortable hotel near the centre of Paris, which will be nearby an Art-Gallery where you both will be engaging in an Art-Class. This is the very same Art-Gallery where the _Roama Lisa_ painting went missing. Be aware, there _will_ be high-level security around the premises,” Steve grinned. “But we do have a nice little cover story for you both.” He indicated a tyre to the white platform, looking at Rod. “Redline,”

The DeRinger had to suppress an antagonised groan as he rolled onto the platform, facing Sallie and Steve expectantly. “Redline, in this mission, you are known as Mr. Torque,” Steve shrugged. “We decided to use your nickname for this,”

“That’s fine,” Came the monotone reply.

“You are very passionate about painting and the arts. You paint for a hobby but want to make it as a living. This will answer why you are curious with the missing painting in the first place. You will recite the history behind it whenever you are prompted.” The Jaguar gave Rod a firm gaze. “And I mean it, Redline. Don’t be dramatic or foolish this time,”

Rod scoffed a laugh, as if in disbelief. But Steve had a point, and Sallie cocked a brow at him doubtingly at his reaction. Egypt was only fun for a while until Rod decided to go with the stupid cover story that he was the resurrection of a brilliant and well-known ancient Egyptian King. And bystanders _believed_ him. It nearly ruined the mission! But Sallie secretly enjoyed it, even after they nearly got captured by angry Egyptian-Rovers.

“Now,” Steve’s voice piped up again, as he pushed onto the button to begin Rod’s appearance into one of the high-tech disguises. In a swift sweep, Rod’s chassis was repainted to-

His tyres stiffened in horror to have seen the monstrosity on what Steve had done! He had to substitute his gorgeous dark-blue paintjob for a hideously bright one, of lilacs and pinks. And through the reflection of the monitors nearby, he could see that an ugly French-style beret was sitting on his roof, and on his grille was….

_Oh god…_

Sallie was howling with laughter, her hands grabbing into her stomach and ribs as she screamed with hilarity, squatting down as if doing so would help her not lose her balance from such an outrageous burst of amusement. Rod felt his entire chassis burn with unspoken fury, realising that his fear was true. On his grille formed a small, ridiculous, unmanly-looking fake _moustache_. And Sallie was _laughing_ at him!

“Rod, you look fucking adorable with that moustache-!” Sallie howled, but her words were tangled with her laughter that Rod barely understood what she said.

He snarled at the human darkly, genuinely enraged at her lack of support and professionalism, but found that his reaction was not regarded, as Sallie was too busy crying with laughter. Rod felt his hood burn with embarrassment.

_What a humiliation…_

Steve, with a hint of amusement in his eyes, turned to Sallie.

“I don’t know what you’re laughing at, Sallie,” Steve said during Sallie’s laughing fit. “You’re going to be posing as Redline’s wife,”

Suddenly, the laughter stopped abruptly, and Sallie faced Steve with utter horror painted on her face.

“Wait, _what?!_ ”

Rod felt himself grow cold. _Fantastic!_ Now they had to impersonate a happily-married _couple_ , in the bastard City of Love.

“And that’s a full-time job, Miss. Knight,” Piped up a voice, and soon Finn McMissile came into view, holding back a tickled giggle from the sight of Rod. The serious muscle-car in such feminine colours was a rare sight, and Finn was glad he was blessed with this moment. “Nice paintjob, Redline,”

“Fuck off, McMissile,” Rod growled, and Finn easily dismissed it. Rod snapped a hot glare at Steve, who was unmoved by such a frenzied reaction. “I’m _not_ using this disguise!” Rod burst out, furious. “It’s terrible!”

“I’m afraid we cannot change it,” Finn replied with a small smile. “The passports have already been printed and sent off,”

“Then make new ones!”

“No time to fanny around, Redline,” Steve murmured firmly, and Rod decided against the idea of arguing with the Jaguar. Instead, he frowned darkly, storming off the platform and parked beside Sallie. He was about to smite her with his tyre, but she had already rushed to the other side of the platform by the time he retreated from it. He’ll get her when she’s asleep. Probably choke her with a tyre pushed onto her throat…

Sallie took a long, shuddering breath, watching Steve approaching the console.

“Knight, you’re posing as Mrs. Torque. A romantic who is passionate about arts and the beauty of Paris, just like your ‘husband’.” The mention of husband made Sallie instinctively look at Rod, who was firing at her a destructive, unforgiving glare. She decided to lighten the mood by sticking her tongue out playfully at Rod. This, sadly, only provoked the DeRinger, and within an instant Rod pointed a barrel of a gun that appeared from his hubcap, and before anything could have been said, he fired, releasing a thick, black heavy net which hurled over the human and launched her onto the back wall of the platform in a tangling fit of horror.

After Rod received a quick scowling from Steve and Sallie got some help from Finn, Sallie returned to the platform, reminding herself to not bother making the DeRinger smile right now. Steve cleared his throat again, returning to the mission at hand. “ _Anyway,_ Knight, you’re Mrs. Torque. You love everything Paris-related, and very much a romantic,”

Sallie smiled. That was going to be easy. She will simply be herself. Well, minus the married part. “You tend to model for your husband’s paintings,” Steve continued, pushing a panel to change Sallie’s appearance with a new disguise. She looked down in excitement at her disguise-

And screamed.

“What is _this?!_ ”

“It’s called a dress, Miss. Knight,” Finn answered, a little perturbed by her reaction.

Rod’s previous black mood lifted, and he snorted through clenched teeth, struggling to contain himself, watching the human fret about at her own disguise.

Admittingly, Sallie didn’t look too bad. Her hair was tied into a long, lush ponytail, adorned with an ornate pink flower. Her dress reflected Rod’s own paintjob, a mixture of pinks. It was an adorable summer-like dress, consisted of a soft-pink dress with a cherry-red silken ribbon that tied around her slim waist. Patterned on the dress were large rosy-pink petals. She had to wear a cute pair of black high-heeled ankle boots.

Karma at its finest! It was so _satisfying_ for him, to see her now upset with her own chosen disguise, and there was nothing they can do about it to change it! He was glad. If he was going to fall to Hell, he was going to drag Sallie with him! This was _her_ fault, after all!

During Rod’s ecstatic thoughts, Sallie almost collapsed onto the floor, finding it impossible to walk on the heels, and so Steve kindly readjusted them to a more walkable level.

Sallie gave Rod a glance, one of helplessness, and Rod enjoyed every second of it.

“Nice stripper boots.” Rod murmured, and then chuckled. “Hmm, looks like I’m gonna have to start calling you _Stripper-Boots_ instead of _Big-Boots_ now,” He eyed her exposed legs up and down as her face burnt a bright humiliated pink. “Nice legs too. When do they open?”

Suddenly, her boot was thrown into Rod’s hood promptly, making the DeRinger grunt.

“Guys, _please!_ ” Finn chimed in, getting tired already. This happened all the time. They would mock one another’s disguises but in good jest. This time, it felt a little more hostile than usual. Perhaps Sallie’s simulation stunt did not help!

“I-I don’t wear dresses!” Sallie proclaimed, hobbling on one heeled-boot.

“You do now,” Steve uttered dismissively. For a couple of serious agents, they were certainly acting like spoilt children. The Jaguar pondered how he tolerated with these sorts of machines and humans.

Sallie hobbled back to Rod, equally as annoyed at her outfit as he was. But the two remained silent and continued to listen throughout the rest of the mission summary. They can have their little fight later when they’re in Paris.


End file.
